Following the Money

Munich-based Giesecke & Devrient, a global leader in banknote production and processing technologies, will be at Stand 124 at G2E Asia to showcase its next-generation BPS C4.

Designed to boost workflow efficiency and speed, the BPS C4 allows a single user to carry out banknote recognition, evaluation, counting and sorting, all in one step. It is capable of through-putting up to 40,000 banknotes an hour and was developed specifically for the largest handlers of paper money: commercial and central banks, cash-in-transit companies—and, of course, casinos.

With the C4, only one operator and one pass are required for the various sorting procedures. Notes can be fed into it continuously without any problems. The system features up to 20 delivery compartments with variable configurations that allow a maximum number of processing jobs to be run in parallel at speeds up to a prodigious 12 banknotes per second. Plus, it can handle a wide range of materials— including casino tickets, paper or polymer materials, whether hot-off-the-press or heavily soiled or damaged.

It also sports a new space-saving design with a more compact layout of singlers and reject and sorting compartments, a touch screen that places complete control at the operator’s fingertips and a height-adjustable table for extra comfort.

Flexibility is another of the C4’s assets. Modular and scalable, it can adapt to any processing requirements and can support different processing modes, including the particularly efficient header-card-processing and rapid-deposit-processing variants. Additional flexibility is available with its large delivery modules, which can process up to 500 banknotes—a real advantage when filling ATM cash boxes or collecting and sorting unusual denominations.

Security standards are industry-leading. Not surprising, given G&D’s 160 years in the field, its presence in more than 30 countries and its extensive involvement in solutions for the public sector, which include ID cards, personalization and border-control systems, travel documents and cards and systems for electronic health-care applications, for personal identification and authentication and for secure electronic transactions online. With C4, all basic functions, denomination identification and authentication and the like, are covered by a sensor block.

Depending on requirements, additional sensors can be added: for example, a dirt/ stain sensor for quality sorting or a dollar sensor for the secure identification of US banknotes. All scanning is two-sided and covers the full surface of the note. A separate fail-safe compartment guarantees simple jam recovery with correct accounting.

The C4 also integrates easily into existing management systems via a LAN interface, providing an additional boost to efficiency and transparency in the cash center. It is language-configurable, as well, and comes with a range of customizable options and accessories: like a single adaptation for almost 100 currencies and other adaptations for processing up to five currencies on the same machine; a barcode reader; an external printer, mouse and keyboard; additional sensor add-ons; external solutions for destroying banknotes and invalidating banknote bundles; and closed-circuit television for displaying count data.

G&D continually adapts its systems to meet changing market demands, legal stipulations and security requirements, whether it’s with a compact desktop processor or a 20-stacker high-performance system. Gaming-specific solutions include high-security systems for automated cash processing that perform counting and sorting, authentication and the flexible processing of different currencies. This year they’ve added an advanced desktop system called the BPS C1, an extremely precise and flexible two-stacker solution featuring a sorting tray and a reject compartment, front-facing controls and opening mechanism to simplify handling and significantly reduce the machine’s footprint, and a counting speed of up to 1,500 notes per minute. The C1’s sensors verify the authenticity and denomination of banknotes and sort them into different stacks based on their denomination, series and orientation. Counterfeit and unusable banknotes are automatically directed to the reject compartment. If required, the unit can be equipped to read serial numbers on banknotes and barcodes on casino tickets. As a further option, banknotes can be sorted into three classes depending on the condition they’re in: those suitable for automated teller machines, those fit for circulation and those no longer in circulating condition.

The C1 can process up to 10 different currencies. It is configurable to meet different needs, and supports G&D’s cash-management software. The fact that two people can use it in parallel makes it even more cost-effective.

“It is the perfect solution for professional users who require a machine that takes up a minimum of space, and the ideal product for integration in local and regional cash management scenarios,” says Ralf Wintergerst, group senior vice president and head of the company’s Banknote Processing Division.

Its small footprint and convenient front access make the C1 the ideal choice for any location.

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